Peach Petals
by Silver Flame Alchemist
Summary: Ezio was only partially awake when Luigi burst into his room, not bothering to knock first. "Messer Ezio, Messer Ezio! Something terrible has happened! Signora Peach has been kidnapped!" -Ezio/Peach for TachibanaEri-
1. Peach Petals

_Blame _TachibanaEri.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Peach Petals<strong>_

Ezio was only partially awake when Luigi burst into his room, not bothering to knock first. "_Messer _Ezio, _Messer_ Ezio! Something terrible has happened!"

Ezio groaned softy as he collected his wits and pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Slow down, _amico, _what's happened?"

"It's _Signora_ Peach, sir… She's been kidnapped!"

Ezio was on his feet in a matter of seconds, heading towards where his armor was laid out on the table. "When did this happen?"

"Sometime last night, _Signore_, we cannot be sure…" Luigi looked embarrassed, and Ezio knew why. It was his duty to keep an eye on Peach, along with his brother's.

"Where is Mario?" Ezio asked, quickly donning his armor. "Does he know?"

"Yes, _Signore_, he is waiting for you downstairs…" Luigi cleared his throat and Ezio turned to look at him.

"What is it, Luigi?"

"There… Was a note, _Signore_… Addressed to you." He held out a rather wrinkled envelope.

Ezio snatched it from him and ripped it open, dark eyes scanning over the spidery writing. Once he'd finished it, he crumpled it into a ball, fist shaking with contained rage. "_Bastardo!_ Luigi, tell my uncle where I'm going. _Do not_ leave the villa, and _do not_ let my mother and sister out of your sight. Do you understand?"

Luigi nodded quickly, dashing out of the room.

Ezio watched him go and then threw the note from him, disgusted to even think that he'd touched the same slip of paper as that monster. The one who'd stolen his princess and threatened his family.

"Bowser…"

* * *

><p>It would have been hard to miss the spiraling towers of the Templar's cathedral even if Ezio hadn't known exactly where it was.<p>

But as it was, he had found and begun to scale the large building in record time, leaving Mario on the perimeter as back-up. If Ezio wasn't out in half an hour, then the other assassin had instructions.

But Ezio wasn't planning on dying here. No, he would get his blond princess back and hopefully kill that _bastardo_ Bowser in the process.

This torment needed to stop once and for all.

* * *

><p>Peach squirmed on the stone cold floor, trying in vain to loosen the bonds on her wrists as she breathed softly and hoped the guards outside her door wouldn't decide to spring an inspection on her.<p>

She wasn't worried about being left here for long. As soon as Ezio found out she was missing, he would come for her. He would find her, and then everything would be alright.

She winced as the ropes around her wrists dug into the skin as she pulled against them, but she hated being trussed up like this. It was demeaning, not to mention uncomfortable, and completely unnecessary.

There were two guards outside the locked and bolted solid-oak door, and another ten guards between here and the exit. Even if Peach had managed to escape the room and find a weapon, she never would have made it out.

But that didn't matter, she reminded herself, because Ezio would rescue her… Just as he always did.

* * *

><p><em>Wow.<em>

_Okay, so I was chatting with my mother, and she made a _Mario_ reference right in the middle of our discussion of _Assassin's Creed.

_I then tweeted about this phenomenon, and _TachibanaEri_ told me to write this._

_I listened to her._

_This was originally going to be a One-Shot, but I'm having trouble concentrating, so it'll be a Two-Shot instead._

_And yes. Mario _is_ an Assassin._

* * *

><p><em>"Messer" <em>means "Master"

"_Amico_" means "friend"

"_Signore/Singnora_" means "Mr./Miss"

* * *

><p>Mario and its related characters <em>belong to:<em> Shigeru Miyamoto _& _Nintendo

Assassin's Creed and its related characters _belong to: _Ubisoft


	2. Crimson Stems

****_And finally we have chapter two!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Crimson Stems<strong>_

Ezio was breathing steadily as he made his way through the Templar base. Three guards lay in his wake, and he had no qualms about killing more if necessary. _No one_ stole his _principessa _and got away with it.

Another guard fell to his hidden blade, and he quickly stowed the body in a near-by crate. Thank God he was in Italy; otherwise missing guards would have been a sure sign of an intruder. As it was, though, most disappearances were put down to fine wine or fine women… Or, more often than not, _both_.

As the Italian Assassin crept down the next hallway, he reminded himself that time was running out. Mario would be off to marshal the troops if Ezio wasn't back in the next twenty minutes.

As he came around another corner, he caught a whiff of perfume on the air and his heart started to pound. That was Peach's scent, no mistake. Light and sweet, just like the woman who wore it.

* * *

><p>Peach frowned as she heard the shuffling of her guards on the other side of the door. She pulled herself up into a more dignified position and held her chin high as the door swung open to reveal a tall man with wild red hair and vibrant amber eyes.<p>

Peach glared at him. "What do you want, _Signore_ Bowser?"

Bowser gave her a toothy grin. "Well you, my dear. And since our dear _Assassino _is nowhere to be found, I may very well be able to have you."

Peach felt a shudder run down her spine as Bowser's gaze drifted over her, taking in the tattered state of her dress and her disheveled golden hair. "He'll come for me."

Bowser smirked. "I think not, _belle_. My men have been told to remain on high-alert while you are here, and I trust them to know the consequences if he slips past our defenses."

Peach's eyes widened as she stared past Bowser at the entrance to her cell.

Bowser followed her gaze, turning around to do so, and found his own eyes widening as he saw the tall, handsome Assassin that was leaning casually against the doorframe.

"Let _who_ slip past, now?"

* * *

><p>Peach held onto Ezio tightly as he carried her up the two flights of stairs to her room in the Villa Auditore. "You should have killed that <em>bastardo<em>…" She muttered softly as Ezio opened the door to her room.

"_Belle_, if I had killed him, I would have lost a rather interesting rival…"

Peach gave him a fierce scowl. "So you're willing to put me at risk in order to keep yourself entertained?" She demanded.

Ezio frowned comically, pushing the door closed with his foot. "_Belle_, please, don't be like that. His injury will keep him bed-ridden for at _least_ a month or two. And I promise to keep you safe."

Peach continued to pout as Ezio gently put her on the bed. "That's not the point. We could have avoided a lot of mess and heartache if you'd just killed him, _amante_."

Ezio's frown faded to be replaced with a smirk. "_Amante_, huh? Is that a hint, _belle_?"

Peach wrapped her arms back around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. "Perhaps. After all, I need to show my appreciation for your saving me."

"Again." Ezio reminded her.

Peach giggled. "Yes, again."

"Now, why don't we get you into something warmer, hmm?"

Peach smiled brightly. "Like your bed, perhaps?"

Ezio's eyebrows crept up his forehead. "Why, _belle_, what a _splendid_ idea!"

* * *

><p>Bowser felt his chest start to ache as the poison that had been coating the Assassin's blades started to take effect. "<em>Damn him<em>!" Bowser breathed heavily, trying to focus his gaze onto the far wall, his sight fading.

"You've finally beaten me, _Assassino_…"

* * *

><p>Ezio slipped out of the bedroom quietly, carefully closing the door behind him. There was a flicker of regret in his chest as he heard Peach murmur in her sleep.<p>

He hadn't told her the whole truth. But it was better this way. He wasn't sure why, but it was.

With a soft sigh, he placed the black sheet over Bowser's portrait, sure that the poison he'd used had done its job by this time.

"_Resquiescat in pace…_"

* * *

><p><em>Yes, there is a bit of a bitter-sweet ending, I know, but that's just the way it is.<em>

_Ezio cares too much for his dear _principessa _to let Bowser live..._

* * *

><p><em><em>"Principessa" <em>_means _Princess_

_"Signore"_ means _Sir_

_"Assassino"_ means _Assassin_

_"Belle_" means _Beautiful_

_"Amante" _means _Lover_

_"Resquiescat in pace__"_ means _Rest in peace_.


End file.
